Who is 'The Baron'??

The Baron. Aka, Baron Augustus de Rothschild IV.His story....

The Story of Baron Augustus de Rothschild the FourthPART IIn a parallel universe, in another time and place far from earth, amphibians rule.In this altered existence a blue planet circled the 5th star in the Tetrapoda cluster and was known as Amphibios.A planet not unlike earth except that evolution of sentience had focused its attention on amphibians rather than apes.Perhaps this was due to the proximity of a second sun in this binary star system.The additional sun allowed for additional heat and humidity much more accommodating to amphibian development relative to mammals.

One of the most fruitful and happiest lands in all of Amphibios was known as Frogthorn.There, a happy king and queen ruled in peace over a multiphibian society of frogs, toads, salamanders, newts and many other makes from other countries and cultures, so long as they had a valid green card.There was even a proposal to accept those of mixed backgrounds, however they found since they were all from different species they could not successfully bear offspring and decided to wait until the technology in DNA manipulation had caught up to reintroduce the motion.

First in line for the throne of Frogthorn was the Baron Augustus de Rothschild the Fourth.He was well nurtured and loved by his caring parents, the king and queen of Frogthorn, and he grew up in all that was best in the land.Educated by the most knowledgeable scholars including Homer the Frog, Aristotle Toad, Einstein of the Hill Caecilians, Confuciusalamander and Hawkin Newt, the Baron had a great advantage over most other princes and future monarchs of Amphibios in that he acquired knowledge from a varied source and learned much of the outside world while remaining in his own.

Unfortunately not all lands and countries in Amphibios were as integrated and much strife between groups often endured due to differences in species and culture.The surrounding strife kept most Frogthornians from ever venturing out into neighboring warring lands and beyond.The constant wars, hatred and violence kept all but a few wanderers from ever returning.Many stories were told of the terrible world outside of Frogthorn.Fortunately with their integrated background they had developed a full proof security force field around their land to keep any warmongers and haters from intruding onto their happy land.

Due to this developed security from the outside world, Frogthorn eluded this truly evil outside influence, and the country enjoyed 1000 years of peace and prosperity under the reign of the beloved Rothschild dynasty.This long period of peace allowed for huge leaps and bounds in advancement.The golden green age of Frogthorn, as it was widely referred to, accommodated great styles and works of art, strides in medical science, and exponential advances in magic and technology.One of the Baron's fondest memories as a young tadpole was the Millennium of Peace Celebration, where fireworks lit the sky and people gathered from all around to feast, drink and celebrate this marvelous achievement.It was a spectacle unlike any other ever seen or had in Frogthorn, a very joyous event where the Baptism of Beer Ritual was performed on the Baron to mark his passing into adulthood.

The secret ritual was performed just before a water-breathing juvenile metamorphosed into an air-breathing adult.The juvenile would be placed into a vat of beer and the molecular make up of the drink infused into the DNA structure of the amphibian, thereby infusing and enhancing its magical capabilities exceedingly beyond those amphibians that did not perform the ritual, like those violent amphibians from the surrounding lands of Frogthorn.

The longevity of peace in Frogthorn had allowed for the people of the land not only to enjoy the benefits of alcohol and beer, but to advance their understanding of the nature of these beverages, their advantages and how to manipulate the molecules to enhance their magical and mystical properties.While some of the outside countries worked hard on advancing war technology, including space travel, Frogthornians developed their magic, the underlying source of their defense against the outside world.The barrier put up around their land incorporated energy technology and the magical projection of group consciousness that surrounded Frogthorn and only allowed those pure of heart to enter the land of Frogthorn.All the advances in technology, all the missiles and bombs, all the hate and violence from their jealous hateful neighbors could not crack or penetrate the force field of love that surrounded and protected the people of Frogthorn.

To most outsiders, after 1000 years of apparent absence, the land of Frogthorn became a myth, only believed by foolish irresponsible adults and young impressionable minds.Those who would seek out this mythical land would either pass right through it without entrance due, to their lack of purity, or be taken in never to return to the outside world.Bedtime stories were often told to children of the outer realm about those who would seek this mythological land and how they would never return.Those adventurers were either snatched up by gremlins or even worse taken hostage by their current enemies.The outlanders often told these stories in order to deter the younglings from taking to the search themselves.

One of the lands that bordered Frogthorn was the dark mountainous region of Toadsilvania.Here large evil toads lived and built engines of steel and weapons of mass destruction in an attempt to thwart their neighbors, especially those who lived in Frogsborough to the north.These toads HATED frogs, they thought they had a weird accent and were very snobby.They wanted nothing more than to utterly defeat and enslave all frogs and take over their lands.

PART II

The Banishment of Floyd the Toad

However peaceful and joyous the land of Frogthorn was, every so often there would be a rare occurrence of decent among one of its inhabitants.Floyd was a toad of noble background, growing up along side the Baron the two were good friends and peers in school.Although Floyd enjoyed almost all the benefits the Baron had, it was not enough for him and a seed jealousy and power envy sprouted within him.The seed continued to grow and poison Floyd's mind and intentions to a degree that it was sensed by the ever protecting group consciousness of Frogthorn.This impurity became a great concern among the Frogthornians.

In cases such as these much thought, discussion, and deliberation took place within the elder council in an attempt to heal and alleviate the negative influence invading their peaceful land.Through all the efforts of the council to mend the evil influence, Floyd's jealousy and hate grew even stronger and when it was discovered that he was secretly trying to lure other innocents into joining him in a coup d'etat, he was placed in isolation while they continued to attempt a solution to this terrible and dangerous situation.It became more and more apparent that the rehabilitation of Floyd was impossible and after much more heated debate, it was finally decided by the council that the only safe solution to Floyd's threat would be to exile Floyd from Frogthorn.It pained the council and Floyd's family and friends, but it was the only way to keep the harmony of Frogthorn in tact. Such an influence could undermine all they had built, something the King would not allow.After yet another attempt to build up a force and take over Frogthorn, the King and council was left with no other alternative but to banish Floyd from paradise.

Jaded and full of hate, Floyd was cast out of Frogthorn.A small slit in the force field opened up just wide enough to brush past Floyd's cold skin as he made his way through.Thick viscous blood pumping through his black heart and his mother crying, the only two sounds Floyd could hear as the slit closed behind him.His mother's cry resonated and echoed in his mind while the bitter liquid squeezing in his twisted veins remained.Floyd found the outside world to be a dark and mysterious place as he stumbled into the cold unknown.He hid in the forests of Toadsilvania dwelling on evil thought and plotting a way to return and overthrow the Rothschild throne.In these forests he overtook a group of evil toads and soon came to rule the war tribe of warted monsters not unlike himself.This motley crew fed on fear and hatred and it's sole intention of rule by any means drove them forward in all their evil conquests.

A dark purple glow filled with fading stars lit the quiet and surreal pre-dawn skies to mark the morning of another successful battle campaign against a rival toad clan. Floyd was abruptly awoken by the vision of a blurred beautiful face and the feel of a cold sharp blade bearing down against his bearded neck.As his eyes rolled and focused to alertness, he felt a trickle of blood run down his neck as he eyed a fine forked tongue slowly rolling out from thin silky lips of a beautiful but deadly gecko. "Ssspeak not or never ssspeak again, lisssten to what I ssssay and perhapsss I will let you live and rule assss you ssso desssperately wishhhhh", the deadly beauty whispered with forked tongue.

This was the Gecko Princess, and she had been watching Floyd for some time.She heard rumors that he was from the mythical land of Frogthorn and she came to confirm his boast or kill him.She continued to whisper and question Floyd to her satisfaction of his boast being true.They conspired against the Rothschild dynasty and she assured Floyd he would get what he wanted if they could make their way into Frogthorn.To legitimize her membership within the tribe the two were wed in a dark and perverted ceremony that demanded the sacrifice of a group of non sentient frogs found in a pond in the forest.They drank the frogs blood and much wine as they celebrated their new union of evil.